With all of the streaming content available these days, it can be difficult to find something of quality to watch. For seniors, getting hooked into a TV show is an investment of time and energy, so sitting down to watch something means it better be good! This makes it important to find the best TV shows for seniors on Netflix.
If you and your partner can’t often agree on content, it’s also wise to try to come to a compromise and choose something you can both enjoy. Even though you are just sitting and watching TV, you are still spending time together, and enjoying a TV show together can give you some common ground to talk about and discuss.
Watching a show gives you something to look forward to as you finish each episode and move on to the next one. Fortunately, there are many different types of TV shows available on streaming services such as Netflix, and these services are not only affordable but simple for seniors to use.
You can easily make a watchlist of shows that interest you that you can choose from, but here are some simple suggestions for some of the best TV shows for seniors on Netflix to get you started.
Best 5 TV Shows for Seniors on Netflix
1. The Great British Baking Show
A favorite among all age groups, The Great British Baking Show combines humor with competition to provide wholesome entertainment to seniors. This show originally aired on PBS, and the show focuses on amateur bakers all competing to be the best bakers in the UK.
The show has been on for four seasons now, with a fifth season starting in the summer of 2020, so you’ll have plenty of content to catch up on until the new season begins. The judges include the beloved Mary Berry, who is a well-known author of cookbooks, and Paul Hollywood, a popular baker.
Competitors bake for 10 weeks, typically things like pastries, desserts, breads, cakes, etc. in order to see who reigns supreme. The contest begins with 12 hopeful bakers. Comic relief is provided by the hosts of the show, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.
You’ll find yourself becoming invested in the passion of these bakers as they try to impress the judges with their baking skills, and get excited as your favorite competitors move up in the competition.
Of course, the cute British accents will only add to your enjoyment of this fun, easy to watch show! You may even find yourself inspired to do some baking of your own.
2. Grace and Frankie
Sometimes aging is made better when you’re watching funny people do it. That’s where Grace and Frankie comes in. This show stars two Hollywood heavyweights, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, as enemies who land themselves in an unenviable, unfortunate position – their husbands have fallen in love with each other and left them.
Though they were looking forward to the relaxation of retirement, the women end up sharing living space when they are forced to inhabit the same beach house, and as you can guess, hilarity ensues. This is considered a quality comedy show that isn’t just based around vulgar humor.
Seniors can relate to the issues that Grace and Frankie are dealing with as far as aging, and the comedy presented in this show is mature but hilarious and inoffensive for seniors looking for laughs that are intelligent.
This show has been airing since 2015 and now offers six seasons for seniors to laugh through. It’s a great way to see aging in a comedic light, and sometimes when you’re feeling low or stressed, watching a funny show can easily lift your spirits! This highly rated show is guaranteed to keep seniors smiling.
3. Jeopardy
One of the best ways for seniors to stay sharp is by constantly keeping their brains active, and a game show like Jeopardy is perfect for that! Jeopardy is a fun show that everyone loves, and it’s easy to become addicted to trying to beat the contestants while coming up with your own answers!
Jeopardy is great because everyone can get into it no matter what age, so if your grandkids or kids are visiting, everyone can enjoy watching Jeopardy and playing at home. This show has been a television staple for 35 seasons, with good reason!
Intelligent and charasmatic host Alex Trebek has thrilled viewers and kept their intellectual skills honed over the years, and Jeopardy offers a host of different categories that ranges from history to science to even popular culture. If you have never watched it, it’s a great time to start!
And if you feel like aging has made it harder for you to remember things and you don’t feel quite as quick on the draw as you used to, a show like Jeopardy gets you going again and helps you use those parts of your brain you may not use much anymore. Also, it’s just a lot of fun!
4. The Office
If you want to watch a half-hour sitcom that will keep you laughing, The Office is a perfect choice. It is full of lively and hilarious characters, the storyline will keep you engaged, and you’ll fall in love with the actors’ portrayals of an office staff trying to survive a mundane job while dealing with everyday issues.
Steve Carell plays the role of his career as Michael Scott, a quirky but lovable boss who has the social graces of a small child. A lot of the humor comes from this character, and even though he comes off as an insensitive jerk sometimes, he has a good heart.
The Office is one of those shows that goes by quickly and is so much fun to watch, you’ll probably binge all nine seasons in record time, then go back and watch your favorites again! Get your tissues ready because although it’s a comedy, there are some bittersweet episodes that may make you tear up just a bit!
You will feel like The Office gang is part of your family and you’ll see why this show has endured years of popularity both while it was on the air and now on Netflix. You may be retired, but you can still have fun watching others deal with work drama in the funniest way possible!
5. The Crown
Are you a history buff? If you like all things royal, take a chance on The Crown. This BBC drama follows the saga of Queen Elizabeth II for an in-depth look at the life of one of the most well-known royals.
There are three seasons of The Crown to view right now, with five seasons altogether planned. This historical drama is lavish and bold, with brilliant sets and costumes, amazing acting, and sweeping storylines you’ll easily get caught up in.
The show goes from the 1940s and into the present with detailed looks at the Queen’s reign and personal life. You’ll love digging into the behind-the-scenes politics, romance, and scandals of the royal family, which holds fascination for so many of us Americans.
The series has won numerous awards, including Best TV Series and Best Drama, so if you’re looking for something a little meatier and dramatic to sink your teeth into when you’re not streaming a lighthearted comedy, you’ll love The Crown!
Claire Foy has also won awards for her spot-on portrayal of the Queen. Though the series has been embellished slightly for the screen, it’s still a compelling story of what goes on behind closed doors at one of the world’s most famous addresses. Historical fiction fans will love this series!
How To Choose A Great Netflix Show
Comedy vs. drama
You may be torn between watching a comedy or watching a drama. If you don’t want something too sad, look for a dramatic storyline without a tearjerking plot; there are plenty of those available.
A drama is great for getting your mind off a current issue or problem. A good drama can really pull you in, and if you’re in the mood to focus on something and have the time and attention to give, a drama is a great way to escape.
However, sometimes life lends itself to needing a quick laugh, and sometimes you don’t want to put any thought into your streaming content, which is where watching a comedy comes in. You may just want to laugh and take your mind off your problems for a half-hour or an hour without getting bogged down in a heavy, dramatic story.
Alternately, you can easily go back and forth between a drama and a comedy! There’s no rule that says you have to watch one show at a time.
It’s also a matter of time. Dramas are usually longer than comedy shows, an hour vs. half an hour, so if you want a show that goes by quickly, choosing a comedy will likely get you there.
Few seasons vs. many seasons
You may be overwhelmed by starting a show that has 10 seasons or more, or you may feel happy that a show has so many episodes to get into. Either way, there are plenty of shows that offer five seasons or less along with those with numerous seasons.
Any type of TV show is a time investment, but if you bore easily and want to move onto the next thing, you may not want to choose a show to start that has multiple seasons. But, if you can really get into the characters and the story of a show and enjoy putting the time into it, a long-term series can be very enjoyable.
How often do you plan on watching? If you’re looking for something to watch an episode or two of every day, then it doesn’t really matter how many seasons there are – you have time!
But, if you want to squeeze more than one show into a specific time period, then fewer seasons is probably better for your needs – but don’t let numerous seasons deter you from watching a great show, like The Office. Half-hour episodes simply slip by so quickly.
Fiction vs. game show vs. documentary
When you’re searching for a show, the mood you’re in can be a big factor in what you decide to watch. Feeling like your brain is melting due to months at home? Try a game show to jump start your gray cells!
Feeling kind of down in the dumps? A comedy or romantic show will lift your spirits, like Sweet Magnolias. Feeling trapped at home but you wish you could get out? Try a sweeping nature show or documentary about a different country to get some views of something different, like Planet Earth, which takes you everywhere.
Want to educate yourself while you’re at home instead of taking in junk TV? Try a learning experience by viewing many of Netflix’s different documentary shows, like Life, which will let you get a closer look at different types of animals and their behaviors.
Bored and want to imagine what someone else’s life is like and looking for a little excitement? Try something completely different from your own life, like Breaking Bad or Dead to Me. Enjoy mystery and suspense but don’t like too much gore or scares? Try Unbelievable.
Want to remember the old days? There’s Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy. There are genres and shows for every mood and feeling!
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